Elder González Trejo, Sustainability Policy Associate for the City of Providence
O: Hi Elder! Would you introduce yourself in your role at your current job and as a Providence resident?
E: Sure! My name is Elder González Trejo. I am the Sustainability Policy Associate with the Department of Sustainability, here in the City of Providence. I am also a proud resident of Providence and grew up in Olneyville. Previously I worked as the Director of Programs at the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council. It was actually through my work with communities and sitting in on some stakeholder meetings that I began to connect with political figures and City staff, and that’s how I pivoted and went from the nonprofit sector to government.
O: Day-to-day, what do you do in your role?
“We’re bringing everyone to the table ... to really collaborate and garner support from all different sectors. ”
E: At the moment, there are several projects that I’m spearheading. One is the development of maps that reflect Green Justice Zones within the City of Providence. This project includes layering data of environmental justice populations, human-caused pollution, and natural hazards such as the Urban Heat Island Effect, flooding, and sea level rise. We are implementing policies and initiatives to address issues that exist in these Green Justice Zones. As of now there are two areas deemed Green Justice Zones. One is the Olneyville neighborhood area, and the other includes neighborhoods in South Providence, specifically those that surround the Port. The development of those maps will support our work in addressing many issues, including the lack of access to the waterfront from South Providence residents and the need for updates to our current Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan.
O: That’s so exciting. That really is not a place you want to spend time right now. It does not look nice.
A view from the end of Public St. (Source: ecoRI News)
E: Absolutely not. The Public Street Right-of-Way is not a safe space for the public to access at the moment. We’re currently trying to understand how we can develop that space without interrupting the cap [a barrier between the surface and the contaminated land underneath], while also integrating stormwater features to address some of the flooding that tends to occur in South Providence. We want to make sure that the design incorporates some features that could provide recreation. As a part of our community-led vision, we’d like to develop steps so that folks can actually reach the water. We want to prioritize pedestrian access. It’s still a public right-of-way, which means that vehicles from the neighboring businesses would also continue to need access. We’re bringing everyone to the table — abutting businesses, stakeholders, community residents, advocacy groups, and other partners such as the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Department of Environmental Management, and Save the Bay to really collaborate and garner support from all different sectors.
O: Great. It sounds like you’re doing some amazing work with the water and also mapping out these bigger issues. Do you notice anything in your mapping specifically related to air pollution or common complaints from residents?
E: Absolutely. When identifying these Green Justice Zones, we have to take into consideration air pollution, specifically in the South Providence area. Rhode Island is ranked one of the states with the highest asthma rates in the country and really, it’s not changing much, so another one of our initiatives involves revisiting our Zoning Ordinance. We recently contracted a consultant to conduct a full review of our Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan and to prepare a document for an amendment that would align with the goals in the Climate Justice Plan. In revisiting the ordinance we seek to lessen the burden of industrial pollution that has existed and continues to exist in the most marginalized communities of Providence. The Zoning Study project just held its kick-off meeting in August. Meredith Hastings (Breathe Providence lead) is actually one of the partners that we had brought in to select the consultant and to serve as a member of the Steering Committee overseeing the progress of the project. We also have the strong voice of Monica Huertas, founding member of the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee; the chair of our Sustainability Commission, Julian Drix; and lastly the director of the Department of Planning and Development, Robert Azar. So again, just really making sure that we’re applying a collaborative governance approach and including all the right people throughout this process.
O: That’s amazing. It sounds like both of those projects are really boots-on-the-ground, using the data and also putting the people of Providence first.
E: Yes, I am someone who works closely with the many communities of Providence, but also I grew up here. I’d like to think that I am meaningfully investing in the folks who helped pave my way and supported me.
O: Thank you for sharing all of that. So you said you grew up in Olneyville, and now are you living somewhere else in Providence?
E: Not too far from Olneyville — I really live just up the hill.
O: Great. How would you describe growing up in Olneyville, or the neighborhood, and did you notice anything about the environmental impacts when you were there?
“I know that investing in community and putting forth an authentic and intentional effort can bring change. ”
E: Of course. My family and a lot of our close friends are immigrants or first generation. Olneyville is really rich in a diversity of immigrant cultures. In my experience, there’s very limited greenspace, and the spaces that were available were always polluted. Without a doubt, it had some impact on my health. I also understood that because of a lack of greenspaces, we just had a hard time connecting to land and nature all together. I think one of the greatest misconceptions is that folks don’t care about their neighborhoods or about their parks — that they don’t want to take care of them. But how would you expect someone who has been told, time and time again, that they don’t belong in this country to feel connected to the land? So I think that empowering people has been one of the more challenging parts of my career. Shifting that mentality and helping folks foster a sense of environmental consciousness can be difficult, but not impossible. I know that investing in community and putting forth an authentic and intentional effort can bring change.
O: Wow, that’s really powerful.
E: I’ve said this once and I continue to say this whenever I’m in panels and discussions: folks who live in these communities are dealing with many, many issues, ranging from unemployment and disability to illness and deportation. Expecting folks to just offer up their time and to volunteer without incentives is just not realistic.
O: That’s a really good point. So we talked about the neighborhood, we talked about your role, and, in general, this is just a question I’ve been asking, what resources do you use to stay aware of air quality, if any?
E: The EPA tools have been useful. The EPA EJScreen tool has been really great to identify different pollutants. The AirNow interactive map is another resource. I’ve also accessed the RIDEM and RIDOH monitoring research and data. I’ve also referenced data from the Community Scale Air Toxics Monitoring Project, focusing specifically in the Port area and with surrounding communities. The results from this project indicate that low income communities of color are disproportionately negatively impacted by environmental hazards and human caused pollution. The RIDEM Office of Air Resources and RIDOH Air Pollution Laboratory have placed air quality monitoring devices in several sites around the Port, but not nearly enough. For this reason, partnering with the Breathe Providence project has been an exciting collaboration as the goal will be to expand into more areas. From my understanding, these devices will be able to more accurately determine sources of pollution.
O: Awesome. With air pollution, because you so often can’t see it, it’s a little harder to grasp, but it’s really cool to have these tools that are more clearly exemplifying the impacts. In South Providence, there will be hundreds of reports every single year to RIDEM about different smells or things people are seeing in the sky. So I’m hoping that our project and your project will just kind of elevate this as a pressing issue.
E: Definitely. I guess a final initiative that I’ll mention is our goal to establish “resilience hubs” in Green Justice Zones. Have you heard of the concept and the model of a resilience hub?
O: A little bit, but feel free to explain.
E: So obviously we’re working with Meredith to make sure that those air quality monitoring devices are placed in locations where community members commonly gather. A resilience hub is essentially an already existing facility that is trusted by the community. Essentially meeting folks where they are. The resources available and services provided at a resilience hub would ideally range from access to cooling spaces within the facility, for folks to cool down in the hot summers, to utility assistance and case management. We want to start by piloting the model of a resilience hub at recreation centers. We’d like to bring this partnership with Breathe Providence into the resilience hub space. Making this information available to all residents is very important and we envision organizing monthly workshops with community members for continued engagement.
O: I took a class this last semester called “Cripping Technoscience,” which is this whole idea of disability justice and technology, whether it’s a gadget or a communication mode, etc., so my project was actually studying the Rhode Island emergency management system, and looking at where the holes might be in helping people with disabilities or providing assistance in emergency situations. And I was also struck by how it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of backbone there, or fleshed out programs. Not a slam on them, but it seems like there’s a lack of funding and attention, which makes me nervous for when another hurricane comes up Narragansett Bay, or these heat waves that are probably only going to get worse.
E: That’s the thing with the concept or model of the resilience hub — we’re looking at sites that aren’t just community-trusted but reliable and safe in the event of a disruption. We need to ensure that the building isn’t going to flood, that they are retrofitted and weatherized, energy-efficient, they have backup generators, so that folks can go there and store their food, or sit in a warm/cool room if they lose power and don’t have access to air conditioning or heating. So being very mindful in making sure that we’re filling in all the gaps, checking all the boxes, and directing folks to locations that would help during an emergency, and not make matters worse.
O: It’s really exciting. So, in general, we’ve kind of talked about your role and experiences of Providence, but to narrow in a little more on air quality, what information do you wish you had, if we could just snap our fingers and have more data? We don’t really know what our sensors are going to come up with, and we’re hoping to not over-promise that they’re going to point fingers at the Port. They might, but we don’t know for sure. But what do you wish you had?
E: I think it’s exactly what you just said and what had been mentioned regarding these devices and the potential to identify sources of pollution. This type of information could help us more accurately address the issues caused by air pollution and the related health and environmental implications.
O: Is there anything I haven't asked that you think I should’ve asked or that you would like to share?
“You need to activate people by empowering them. We must learn our history, and understand where we’ve failed in the past and how we can provide incentives in exchange for valued participation.”
E: Investment in community is crucial. Whether it be across the state or in different neighborhoods within the city, communities will always look different. It’s important to understand that some folks have the privilege and resources to organize and mobilize more than others. There’s an expectation that everyone will just “show-up” and then met with confusion when they don’t. You need to activate people by empowering them. We must learn our history, and understand where we’ve failed in the past and how we can provide incentives in exchange for valued participation.
O: Thank you so much for your time and all your thoughts and expertise. I’m really excited about the work you’re doing.
E: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen.
